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Manufacturers body: The FMD will cause generics prices to rise

The cost of implementing the EU’s medicines scanning law across the supply chain will cause medicines prices to increase, the BGMA has said.

The EU’s anti-counterfeit legislation, the Falsified Medicines Directive (FMD) – which requires all pharmacies to be able to scan barcodes on medicines packaging at the point of dispensing – came into force last month.

BGMA director Warwick Smith warned that financial pressures of the FMD are being felt across the supply chain, and this will be reflected in the price of medicines.

“The cost is already in the market, even if the packs are not,” he told C+D at the Sigma conference in Muscat, Oman, last month.

The FMD has already cost the pharmaceutical industry “hundreds of billions of pounds” in production costs of adding 2D barcodes, Mr Smith claimed.

On top of this cost, manufacturers paid £9 million to register with SecureMed – the UK group tasked with implementing the FMD, he claimed.

“I suspect [the FMD] is having an impact already, but it will be quite gradual and quite small,” Mr Smith added.

Brexit having “minor” effect on prices

Mr Smith acknowledged that Brexit is having a “small” effect on medicines prices, but “it will get bigger”.

Of the factors affecting generics prices, Brexit is “probably the least impactful”, he said.

How High?, Community pharmacist

Leon The Apothecary, Student

Posted on Sun, 10/03/2019 - 23:26

Although to play devil's advocate, the FMD process doesn't add that much extra to dispensing time, an extra 30 seconds at most really...but what I suspect is that FMD will be a foundation piece for full automation.

Benie I, Locum pharmacist

Sam Pharmacist, Community pharmacist

Posted on Wed, 06/03/2019 - 20:28

My favourite fast moving items now have FMD barcodes. Damn you Ventolin for implementing so quickly. Will have to check out the brands slow to react. How is everybody coping with adding 2 tablets in 28 boxes. I am using a lot of cello tape to tape up the tamperproof boxes now. The dispensing fee needs to cover the slowing down of dispensing now!

A B, Community pharmacist

Leon The Apothecary, Student

Posted on Sun, 10/03/2019 - 23:23

I suspect he's referring to the fact they don't close properly after you open them like the old flaps used to. It does pose a question of can we adopt full-pack dispensing already like the rest of the EU.